Suspected leak in a Leasehold Flat - Who's responsibility?

ljs_1985

Hi there, I live in a ground floor flat which is shared ownership between myself and a housing association.

I've noticed a mouldy wet patch at the bottom of my wall, The wall in question has an access panel which i assume means that there are pipes behind the wall and i therefore assume that it is a water leak from a pipe.

The Housing agency as advised that i need to arrange for someone to come out and investigate this, and that if it is a pipe leak then i may or may not be responsible for repairs dependant on whether the pipe services the whole building or whether it only services my flat. I already know that the pipe won't be one which services my flat only as it is nowhere near either my bathroom or kitchen and it comes from flats above therefore i don't see why i should have to pay someone to come out? I would have thought that it is the management company who would inspect however they have just directed me back to the housing agency. Does anyone know what the correct procedure should be?

On a separate note, when i bought the flat i was advised that I'm paying into a buildings insurance policy and that I only need to arrange contents. The housing agency are now telling me that the buildings i pay into only covers the communal areas and the building as a whole but that if there was buildings damage to the inside of my flat this isn't covered. So sounds like i need to arrange a separate buildings policy for myself however isn't that then dual insurance?

HouseBuyer77

Have you tried opened the panel and taking a look?

Just because it's no-where near the kitchen or bathroom doesn't mean it's nothing to do with your flat. Do you know where the water main enters your flat (meter or stopcock location)?

HouseBuyer77

Also how long has the patch taken to develop? If it's been slowly appearing then it must be a very slow leak (even a little drip if continuous will build up a good amount of water over the course of a day).

bouicca21

I have a leaking pipe in my flat. Pipe services my central heating. The consequential damage is covered by the buildings insurance taken out by the management company. The actual repair of the pipe is my responsibility. I think that is the usual arrangement. Contact the insurers.

eddddy

ljs_1985 wrote: »

The Housing agency as advised that i need to arrange for someone to come out and investigate this, and that if it is a pipe leak then i may or may not be responsible for repairs dependant on whether the pipe services the whole building or whether it only services my flat.

In your position I would do this...

Tell the HA that you will ask a tradesman to come and investigate. If the leak turns out to be your responsibility, you will cover the tradesman's bill. If the leak turns out to be their responsibility, you will expect them to reimburse you. Ask the HA to confirm they agree.

You can also invite them to use their choice of tradesperson / maintenance company - but check how much the cost will be, in case you end up footing the bill.

ljs_1985

Hi yes i've opened the access panel but there's too much insulation and stuff and also the access panel is high up on the wall and the water damage is right down by the skirting.

I don't know if it's a leak or something else. It's been months and is slowly getting worse and mould is growing around the carpets and skirting. I don't know what else it could be? I've researched different types of damp but it doesn't look like that either

ljs_1985

Thanks for your replies everyone. Because i don't even know if it's damp or a pipe leak Ii don't even know what tradesmen to get out. I've been quoted £500+ VAT for someone to carry out a survey to trace a leak but I don't even know if it is a leak? And i assume if it's not, that tradesmen won't be able to tell me if it's damp.

If it is damp does any one know where i'd stand? I assume that this would be classed as a defect with the buildings or at least the freeholders responsibility. It's a flat built 2 and a half years ago.

Thanks

Lauren

martindow

ljs_1985 wrote: »

I've been quoted £500+ VAT for someone to carry out a survey to trace a leak

That's a lot of money which presumably is to check the whole system when you can see water passing through a meter with all taps in a building shut but don't know where the leak is. But you know the position of the leak is more or less as you can see the damp patch.

I would get a plumber in to have a look - a quick visit is going to be tens of pounds rather than hundreds.

bouicca21

Have you contacted the insurers? I found mine very helpful in explaining how to go forward. If it is a valid claim anything you pay out would count toward the claim as part of the excess. If you don't have a valid claim then it will be your responsibility anyway.

Until you have the problem investigated you won't be able to get anywhere, so you need to get someone out to look at it. I doubt at this stage that track and trace is appropriate.

G_M

Either
1) persuade the HA to investigate. Convince them the leak is connected to pipework serving the building. If you succeed, they will investigate (but may charge you if it transpires the leak is your responsibility)

2) Investigate yourself. Get a ladder and access the panel. Remove the insulation, take a torch, and see what you can see (any contractor is going toneed to do this anyway).

Consider other possible causes of the damp (eg raised external ground level, leaking gutters/downpipe etc)

3) contact the insurers. They may or may not help (they might want proof first there's a valid claim). Bear in mind there's likely to be an excess to pay which might be quite high, so find out first.

4) pay a plumber or surveyor to investigate

5) ask a general builder (or plumber) to come out and give you a quote for a damp repair (often free).

ljs_1985

The management company won't provide me details of the insurer for the freehold and have advised that the insurer won't attend unless it is a problem to do with the building services rather than my individual flat. I'm having an absolute nightmare as i would have thought the management company would arrange for this to be looked at and then should it be my responsibility, bill me. Rather than me cluelessly trying to get it sorted.

This leads me onto another question in that, I pay £16 a month to the management company for buildings insurance however they are now basically advising that this insurance doesn't cover anything that it solely my responsibility or anything within the 4 walls of my flat. So does that mean I need to take out my own insurance purely for my flat for future issues? My lease says that I don't need buildings insurance but this problem has highlighted to me that i probably do? If I'd had my own insurance i would have simply called the insurer, reported the damage and they would have sent someone out. I'd like to make sure that I am covered for any future problems.

Thanks alot